Improvement in fire-arms



E. WESSON.

Magazine .Fire-Arm.

Patented June 5, i847.

Y No. 5,146.

MFETERS. Pnoo-LUHOGMFMER. wAsmNGlon D C UNITED STATES EDWIN WESSON, OF NORTHBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 5,1116, dated June 5, 1847.

To'all whom it may concern: n

,Be it known that I, EDWIN WnssoN, of Northborough, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ordnance or Fire- Arms; and I do hereby declare that the same is fully described and represented in the following speciiication and accompanying drawings, letters, figures, and references thereof.

Ofsaid drawings, Figure l denotes atop view of apistol orcarbine made on my improved plan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of it. Fig. 3. is a vertical central and longitudinal section of it. Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the main barrel. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the chamberslide, having its flap or breech turned down.

The object of my improvement is to discharge two or more gun -barrels (having separate charges) at one and the same time.

I am aware that two or more barrels for containing and holding shot or balls have been united to one common chamber for holding or containing powder, which powder, on being exploded, drove or forced the balls out of their respective chambers. Such a contrivance is subject to important difficulties, which are avoided by the improvement made by me, and

which I shall hereinafter describe.

One of said diiiiculties is as follows: When the several barrels are respectively loaded with balls, it will be found that, owing to circumstances which cannot be well avoided, each ball is driven into or held in its barrel by a friction or power greater or less than that which is attendant on any other ball of the other barrels. In other words, owing to the slight variations in the sizes of the balls, as well as to the amount of wadding placed around them or over them, the said balls will be held in their respective barrels by different degrees of power or friction. This being the case, on exploding the charge of gunpowder in the chamber common to all the barrels it will be found that, as the explosive power of the powder meets with less resistance to drive the balls out of someone or more of the barrels than it does in some one or more of the others, those balls which resist the strongest will act like so many breeches, and will cause the whole force of the powder to be exploded in driving the others out of their barrels. Thus, at every discharge of the powder in the chamber there will be more or less probability of some one or more of the balls being discharged from their barrels.

By my improved inode of constructing and containing a series of barrels and discharging them, there is little or no probability that such a difliculty can occur, as experience has deinonstrated that all the barrels will be simultaneously discharged of their balls.

I surround a pistol or gun barrel, a, Figs. 3, 4, 5, by a series of barrels, b c d cfg, which I dispose with respect to each other as seen in the drawings, or in any other convenient manner. Such barrels may be all bored in one piece or cylinder of metal, or they may each consist of a tube like a single musket or gun barrel. Upon the breech of the barrel a, or that of any other barrel of the series, I affix an exploding-nipple, 71., having a vent bored through it, and so as to communicate with the interior of the barrel. From said barrel so provided with the said nipple I open or make one or more small vents or passages into each of the other barrels, said vents or passages being denoted in the drawings at i z', &c.

Instead of making each barrel communicate directly with the center barrel, one of the exterior barrels only may have a vent hole or passage leading from it into the central or discharging barrel, and the said exterior barrel may have a vent or passage leading from it into any one of the other contiguous barrels. This latter barrel may also have another venthole leading into some other one of the barrels contiguous to it, and so on throughout the series. I merely mention such an arrangement of vents as a modification of my improvement without any change of principle or invention.

Each barrel is to be loaded with a separate charge of powder and ball. On placing a percussion-cap on the nipple h and exploding it by means of the hammer 7c of the lock in the usual manner, the charge of the barrel a will be fired. The explosion of the powder thereof will cause lire or flame to pass through the several 'vents t' t', Src., and into the charges of the contiguous barrels, and so as to explode them. Then all the barrels will be discharged at once, or in rapid succession, and as each barrel has its separate breech, and is entirely independent of the other, its charge of powder acts only with reference to and upon the base or shot placed over it.

For convenience of loading` I make all the cham bers of the said barrels in a slide or block ot metal, D, applied to the barrels in such manner as to be readily removed therefrom or pnt in place, as occasion may require. To the rear side of the said slide I joint or hinge a iiap or breech-plate, C, in such manner as to enable me to turn it aside from the several chambers when it may be desirable to load them. In Fig. 5 the said breech-plate is eX- hibited as secured to the slide B by a screw, Z, and as turned down upon said screw. The said slide or block B, when placed in its correct position against the several gun-barrels, may be held or forced up against them by a screw, m, or any other mechanical equivalent, applied to it and the barrels, and made to act against it in any proper manner.

What I claim as my invention is The afore-described improved mode of combining and connecting several guns or barrels, so as to cause their charges to be fired by the explosion of the charge in one of them, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my signature this 19th day of December, A. D.

EDWIN WESSON. Witnesses:

1t. HENRY, GALEB EDDY. 

